The Irish standard., 1887-01-22
CARD-SHARPlNG.
Some of the Principal Tricks Practiced by
Professional Rascals.


Some of the Principal Tricks Practiced by
Professional Rascals.
Card-sharping is the easiest thing
going. It only requires a good pres
ence, though even that can be dis
pensed with a quick eye, a certain
amount of GOODNESS and practice.
There are several ways. The principal
things are, no matter what the game
may be, to ''ready'' the pack, and to
avoid or neutralize the cut. Take
ecarte. The object to be attained is to
get the eighth, ninth, tenth and elev-
enth cards from the top to be of the
same suit. The s'readying" always oc-
ours after the first hand and out of the
eleven cards which lie with their faces
uppermost on the table, it is not diff
cult to spot four good cards and place
them on the top of the pack. In the
course of the shuttle seven more cards
are placed on the top Of these.
The next thing is to avoid OF
neutralize the cut, which is not
so difficult as may appear when
accompanied by pleasant "patter, "
which is necessary to all tricks. The
pack is now ''readied,': and when dealt
it will be found that the tenth, ninth
and eighth cards, which are in the
Dealers hand, are of the same suit as
the eleventh card, which he turns up as
trumps.
The means OF neutralizing the cut.
when it can not be avoided, are called
the ''bridge'' and spass." When the
pack is ''readied,' y and the sharp sees
he can not avoid the cut, he takes some
fifteen cards from the bottom Of the
pack, which he holds in his hand. These
fifteen cards he bends slightly length
ways, SO as to form a slight curve and
throws them carelessly on the pack.
The odds are about one hundred to one
that his adversary will cut the fifteen
bent cards and leave the ''readied'
pack in it's original position. The trick
is sometimes performed backwards, as
if the sharp were cutting himself, by
mistake, after shuttling.
The ''pass'' is not so easy, and is per-
formed by sleight-of-hand. When the
cards are :sreadied,'' the pack is pre-
sentcd to be cut. When this is done
two portions are on the table, and it is
for the sharp who is dealing to re;aiust
them into one pack. This he does in
the following way: He takes up the
''readied'' cards in his right hand and
passes them to his left hand. He then
takes up the remaining cards with his
right hand, apparently as if to place
them on top of the ''readied" cards.
Instead of doing so, however, he, by a
s]eight~of-hand which is performed with
the tip OF the little finger Of his left
hand, and q quick movement of the
other fingers. which could not be ex-
planned in print, manages to reverse
the two portions, thus leaving the
''readied'' cards in their original posi-
ton on the top, as they were before
the pack was cut
Another way Of sharpening is very
popular in baccarat, and is called the
'slip'' Or "second pulling" This is
performed with marked cards, or what
arc called '*readers.;' The most I'M
portant cards-namely, the eights,
mines, tens and court cards-are mark
ed in way chat no one but the peo-
pie :>in the know could possibly dis
cover. A great deal of skill is neces-
saly in dealing, so that the gree can
deal himself, if required, the '"seeond
pullers' or marked cards from even
the second, third or fourth cards down,
while ali the time appearing to help
himself honestly from the top, These
marked cards OF ''readers'' are made
and sold largely i'll America by circu-
lar, and a single pack: costs as much as
a "1iver.' Recently well-know-n club
man received circular from one Of
these scoundrelly firms, in which they
offered him I, large commission on all
orders which he obtained.
One Of the best recognized, but most
risky modes Of sharping at cards: is
what is called s'the drunken mug"
The best way Of explaining it will be
to give an example which occurred a
few years ago at u well-known water
ing-place. The mug was induced to
play in his own rooms with three
sharps, who had singled him out for
slaughter. The game was not for ready
money, and the mug" was made
drunk by dropping salt in his liquor,
The next morning one Of the sharpe,s
called on him and proffered him $50,
which he professed to have lost over
night to the mug" The ''nug," not
suspecting or remembering any thing;
took the money, and thought the sharp
a very decent fellow. Not very long
after, however, the two other sharps
called upon him and presented winning
accounts for $500. The mug" saw
the game Immediately, and was Oh the
point of refusing to pay, when he re-
membered that he had incauviously ac-
oepted the other mans $50, and had
put himself out of court. The sharps
knew with whom they were dealing.
and had risked the $50 to catch the
$500. The "mup.;' to avoid further